Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has issued a ban on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and social media apps affiliated with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on devices issued by the state government.  

The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) has awarded two grants to foster the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in school districts and county vocational schools throughout the state.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has introduced a bill that would restrict student cellphone use during the school day.

Western New England University (WNEU) has opened a new extended reality (XR) lab, which provides students and faculty with access to the latest in virtual (VR), augmented (AR), and mixed reality (MR) technologies.

Indiana-based Purdue University has named Christian Theumer as its new chief information officer (CIO) and vice president of information technology.

A Federal court judge in Rhode Island issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on Jan. 31 that blocks the Trump administration and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) from freezing payments of trillions of dollars from government grant and loan programs – at least as it regards the 22 states and the District of Columbia that petitioned the court to do so.

New York has awarded $55 million to 57 counties and New York City to bolster the state’s emergency response and communications systems.

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has launched a new dashboard detailing information about all violent deaths and firearm-related injuries in the state.

Minnesota has created a centralized state fraud investigations unit operated by law enforcement at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and intends to use new technologies, including AI, to curb fraud.

The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) has released its annual list of Federal advocacy priorities.